Mistletoe
by Flower princess11
Summary: Danny decides to spend Christmas at the Ghost Zones Christmas Party and has to deal with one particular tradition.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own Danny Phantom or any of the characters. Danny Phantom is the sole property of Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon and Viacom International.

* * *

 _ **Mistletoe**_

It was Christmas time in Amity Park, the winter snow has fallen, homes were decorated in beautiful lights and people were out caroling and enjoying the opening of presents during Christmas day.

But that's not where our story will take place.

In another dimension known as the Ghost Zone, all ghosts were heading to the same place in other to all join for what is known as the annual Ghost Zone Christmas party, where ghost of all kinds come to celebrate the Holiday, as well as engage in a truce that promises 24 hours of absolute peace on this joyous day. Among them is one particular ghost with white hair, green eyes and a black suit with a white DP symbol on it.

It was Danny Phantom, one of the most well known of Ghosts who had entered Pariah's castle, which will serve as the place where the party will be held this year. While still spooky on the outside, he saw that the castle had been decorated lovely with many holiday decorations and many ghosts were already merrily chatting.

 _"Here goes everything..._ 'Danny sighed as he took a step in.

The other ghosts noticed his presence...and then went back to their own business. Despite the fact that most of the ghosts here had fought against him at some point, the Christmas truce prevented any fighting on this day, unless any of them wanted to end up like the Ghostwriter, who is still serving his sentence and Holiday in Walker's prison.

Danny walked in and still felt a little awkward. As happy as he is that on this day, there would be no fighting, he still felt a little weird to be at a party with some many ghosts that once tried to destroy him. At the very least Vlad wasn't here since he was spending the Holiday in Hawaii, due to hating the cold ever since Frostbite and his people froze him solid. One less problem to deal with tonight, he supposed. He still tried to avoid having to talk to the likes of Skulker, Spectra or Walker if he could help it.

Even if they won't attack him, Danny could only fake so much friendliness...

"Sir Phantom..."He heard someone call him.

Danny turned around and smiled when he saw one of his few ghostly friends Queen Dora arrive.

"Merry Christmas Dora..."Danny said as she hugged him.

"And a Merry Christmas to you too, I was almost worried you wouldn't come to the party this year, considering what happened last year..."Dora said and Danny shrugged.

"Hey, the Ghost Writer is still locked up and like I would miss out on a day of absolute peace...'Danny said, making the Queen smile.

"Well come along, it's a party...eat, drink and be merry...'Dora encouraged before a ghost asked her to dance with them.

Danny looked around and saw that despite all the ghost, it really was just a simple Christmas party, there was food, games, dancing and even a giant, beautifully decorated tree in the middle of it, making it all seem so nice.

"So you made it little man..."Johnny 13 said upon seeing him, with his girlfriend Kitty right behind him.

"Merry Christmas Johnny and Kitty...uh...you both look well...'Danny said, feeling the horrible awkwardness of small talk.

"Thanks...so do you..."Kitty said, for the sake of being nice and respecting the truce.

"So...uh...how's the human world?..."Johnny asked.

"It's doing well..." Danny said...

"Uh...how's your bike?..."Danny asked and now Johnny started talking more interested since it was about something he liked.

"She's doing great...just got her waxed and added some brand new spinning rims..."Johnny said.

"Really?..."Danny said, actually interested in cool vehicles.

"Yep, I have been doing some work on her and now she can reach up to 500 miles an hour when you floor it..."Johnny said and for once, he and Danny seemed to be getting along and it;s because of motor vehicles.

"Boys and vehicles...'Kitty muttered with an eye roll.

"You almost sound like Sam..."Danny commented after she said that.

"Speaking of which, where are your little sidekicks anyway?..."Johnny asked, noticing the absence of the two humans.

"They are celebrating Christmas with their families..." Danny answered.

Suddenly a new Christmas song played and Kitty's eyes light up.

"Oh, I love this song! Come on Johnny..."Kitty shouted as she dragged her blonde boyfriend to dance with her.

 _"Better him that me._..'Danny thought, briefly recalling that week where Kitty blackmailed him to date her just to make Johnny jealous.

Danny walked around and ended up mingling with some minor ghosts he doesn't really recognize, making some small talk, until somebody got his attention.

"Salutations, oh Great one...'The booming voice of Frostbite said and Danny smiled upon seeing him.

"Frostbite, it's great to see you! Happy Holidays...'Danny said, happy to see one of his closest ghost friends here...

"Happy Holidays to you, Great one..."Frostbite said kindly to Pariah's conqueror.

"So, how's everything in the Far Frozen?...'Danny asked.

"Everything has gone well, the Infi-Map is still safe and my people are still strong...'Frostbite said before he pulled something from behind him.

"A gift to you, from me and my people...'He said as he pulled out a white box with a blue ribbon on it.

"Wow Frostbite, you didn't have too..."Danny said, feeling a little flustered to receive a gift.

"Nonsense, it was our pleasure..."Frostbite said with a merry grin on his face.

"But I didn't bring you a present...'Danny said, feeling pretty guilty over this.

"Now now...it's alright, there's always next year, which I might add, the party will be held in the Far Frozen..."Frostbite said and Danny smiled.

"Let me know if you guys need any help..."Danny said, feeling a little better now.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Open it..."Frostbite encouraged.

Danny opened the box and saw what looked to be a beautifully crafted sword that looked to be made of pure ice, silver and it had what looked to be an ice gem on it too. It's positively exquisite...

"The Sword of Winter is one of my people's most preferred weapon of combat, only an elite warrior is capable of mastering it...I thought it would do well with you..."Frostbite explained.

"Cool..."Danny said as he marveled over the amazing weapon.

"It _was_ made from ice of sub zero temperatures...'Frostbite said, confused over Danny's lingo.

"Huh? no..what I mean is...this is amazing...Thanks Frostbite, I promise that I'll treat it right..."Danny said, feeling amazed over the sword.

"I know you will..."Frostbite.

" _ **WOW! I, THE BOX GHOST, HAS NEVER SEEN SUCH A WELL CRAFTED ONE...**_ 'The Box Ghost said as he floated by.

"I know, this sword is so cool..."Danny said but the Box Ghost frowned.

"I was not referring to the silly dagger, I, _The Box Ghost_ , was talking about the ever lovely, cardboard container it came from...'The Box Ghost said.

Danny sighed as he should have figured how deep his box obsession is and Frostbite looked annoyed over what he just said. Danny sent at the now discarded box and then a look at Frostbite, who figured what he was thinking and nodded.

"Here...Merry Christmas...'Danny said as he handed The Box Ghost the now empty box, while he still held the sword.

"Wow, you mean it..."The Box Ghost said, pleasantly surprised.

"Yeah...'tis the season to be jolly and all that, right..."Danny shrugged and the Box Ghost smiled widely as he took the empty present box while Danny kept the sword of winter.

"Danny Phantom...I, _THE BOX GHOST,_ give thanks for my gift and wish you a very Merry Christmas..."The Box ghost said happily before leaving with his new box.

"That was very merry of you, great one...giving a gift...no matter how stupid it is...to an enemy is rather big of you...'Frostbite commented.

"It's just a box and he would have been over me all night because of it...sometimes it's best to just give them what they want...besides, technically you're the one who gave me it in the first place...'Danny shrugged.

Danny tried to keep with Frostbite, Dora and even Pandora who also came to the party. They talked a bit and Danny tried to keep himself busy by nibbling at the buffet table, drinking some non-alcoholic eggnog and trying to keep up with some of the carols when some of the other ghosts started singing.

However, after a few hours of it all, he was getting a little tired...and not the from exhaustion.

" _ **HAHA!**_ These gingerbread specters are the best..."Youngblood shouted happily as he ate them, all the while he and his skeleton were both dressed as elves

"Oh this ecto-eggnog really does the trick...'Pandora said gleefully as she enjoyed the holiday drink.

"Oh, this truly is one splendid Christmas, is it not, Great one?...'Frostbite asked him and Danny faked a smile, for the sake of being peaceful and nodded.

After that, he asked to be excused, needing a moment away from it all. Danny tried to find a private area where he could go for some privacy but Pariah's castle is a big place and every room was filled with happy, singing, partying ghosts all happy for the Holidays. He needed to go someplace quiet.

Quiet and empty...

He eventually managed to find what he was looking for, on the castle's balcony that was overlooking the zone...

"Finally..."Danny thought as he went there.

Unknown to him, someone else is on their way too, someone who also needed a moment away from the party.

* * *

 _On the balcony_

Danny sighed as he made it to the castle's balcony, that was the only spot empty and quiet right now, even though it had also been decorated for the party, just like the castle.

"Finally..."He sighed as he looked over the balcony and saw the endless dark and gloominess of the entire zone.

He knew that last year he promised that he would try hard to be more cheerful during the Holiday and he really did try, he spent the last week alone trying to be festive, but you can't undo 14 years of pent up Holiday-resentment in one night. Okay, this year wasn't all that bad, he mostly just tried to stay out of the house and stick with Tucker and Sam, who both did their own Yuletide thing...He even helped with his school's Holiday fundraiser, which Sam was in charge of, where we all went around collecting toys and food for the homeless.

That part wasn't so bad...but when he got home, it was still the same thing with his parents. _..fighting, fighting_ and _**more** fighting._

He tried to ignore it and just focus on the positive stuff of the Holiday but there was only so much he could do. Heck, it was because of their fighting that he decided to throw caution to the wind and come to the Ghost Zone Christmas party in the first place.

And worse still, he actually _did_ have more peace here in a room surrounded by his enemies than with his own parents...just how depressing can that get?

" _Happy Holiday to me..._ 'Danny thought to himself sarcastically.

He was so consumed by his thoughts, that he didn't realize that somebody had come to join him on the balcony until they spoke up.

"Dipstick?...'A feminine voice called.

Danny turned around and saw that it was the Ghost Zone's own ghostly diva and one of his most frequent enemies, Ember Mclain.

"Oh, hi...Ember...I'll be out for a second, I just needed some air..."Danny said awkwardly to her, for the sake of being peaceful

"We're ghosts Phantom...we don't _need_ air...'Ember commented and he sent her an annoyed look.

"Fine, I just needed some _quiet,_ everything was just so...noisy downstairs...I needed a moment..." Danny said.

"It's a party...it's _suppose_ to be noisy...'Ember said, though she was a little curious about his attitude.

"What brings you up here, anyway? I figure a ghost like you would be psyched to party hard all night?..." Danny asked.

"Skulker was being a pain and since I can't fight him, I needed to get away...'Ember said.

She and Skulker broke up about a week ago, after a fight over him being both a lousy hunter and an even lousier boyfriend. It had been really awkward trying to play nice with him during the party but he made an attempt to try and get her to take him back but she wasn't interested.

Which is why she is here right now...

"Is something on your mind?..."Ember asked.

She couldn't help but notice that he didn't seem all that into the party, even if his enemies were around, all ghosts are willing to let go of their grudges for this one day alone...though maybe that wasn't what was bothering him..

"Why do you care?...'Danny asked and Ember sent him a look.

"We're in the middle of a truce Phantom, that means that despite personal feelings, we have to be nice tonight...so spill...'Ember said.

Danny sighed, not wanting to fight with her and considered that maybe it would be nice having someone to talk to...

"I guess I'm still surprised I ended up here...'Danny muttered.

"I'll say...I was actually kind of surprised you actually showed up...considering what happened last year...'Ember commented.

"Believe me, spending Christmas playing nice with my enemies is better than being stuck at my house..."Danny muttered, making Ember send him a look.

"Okay, what gives...I thought goody-goody heroes like you are suppose to be positive, cheerful and merry on days like this..."Ember asked and Danny sent her a look.

"I'm being perfectly merry...I'll have you know I went caroling earlier with my sister and helped Tucker and Sam for the school's Holiday charity drive..and...I even helped decorated the tree..."Danny said in a defensive way

Ember sent him a look and Danny groaned, knowing that even he wasn't convinced by what he just said...

"Christmas has just been a tough time on me growing up...'Danny said, not knowing why he is opening up to her of all people, maybe because he needed somebody to talk to and she is the only one here...

"Why?...'Ember asked.

"Every year it's the same thing, my parents always fight over whether or not Santa Claus is real and they always ruin the whole Holiday for me and my sister...it's so stupid..."He grumbled.

He didn't see the look Ember sent him...

"Wow, I didn't expect that, who even fights over something like that?..." Ember said and if Danny had paid attention, he would have noticed that she almost sounded like she felt sorry for him...

"It is how it is...'He mumbled.

"Can't you just tell your parents something?..."Ember said.

"Like what, _"Mom, dad,_ _please stop ruining my Christmases?"._..'Danny muttered sarcastically... "Me and Jazz tried and every time after they ruin the holiday, they apologize and promise to not let it happen again...but the next year, they always forget and go back to that stupid argument...I've gotten used to it..."He sighed.

"Wow...rough..."Ember said.

She noticed the glum look on his face and Holiday or not, Ember actually felt some pity for him, even if they are suppose to be enemies during the other 364 days of the year.

"You know...you're not the only one who had a bad holiday, whether you realize it or not, a lot of the ghost here's were once human...and not all of us had it easy either, and not just during the Holidays..."Ember said, making Danny look at her.

"Does that include you?...'He asked out of curiosity.

"None of your business..."Ember said in a defensive tone.

" _So-rry...'_ He said sarcastically until he turned away from him.

And Danny sighed, feeling a small sense of guilt, even if it towards her...

"I mean...sorry...I didn't mean to take my frustration out on you...I did that last year on the Ghost Writer and we all know how that turned out...anyway, sorry..."He said.

"Whatever...'Ember said, not accepting his apology but not rejecting it either.

"Look...what I mean to say is...don't let somebody else ruin what's suppose to be a great night for you...despite it all, Christmas is suppose to be the happiest time of the year..."Ember said and Danny actually smiled a bit at that.

"You know Ember...you almost sounded... _human_ just now...'Danny said and Ember glared at him.

"Don't insult me...'Ember said, making Danny snicker and despite her tone, he could see a hint of amusement in her expression.

"So, this is technically your first _official_ Ghost Zone Christmas party that hasn't been hijacked...opinion so far?...'Ember asked, just for the sake of being pleasant for the holiday.

"Just the fact that I haven't been attacked yet automatically makes this a good party...I guess..."Danny said, making Ember almost smirk at that.

"Well Ho-Ho-Ho, Mr. Goody Goody had his first good Christmas with ghosts...up next is probably a ride on Santa's sleigh as the elves put candy canes in the stockings..."Ember quipped

Danny chuckled at that. It was weird but when Ember wasn't mocking him or trying to take over the world, she was almost funny...He figured she really must respect the Christmas truce to be willing to talk with him socially, even if it's only for today...

"I think it's time to be heading back..."Danny said, upon realizing they have been here a while.

"Yeah, better get to the buffet before Youngblood eats all the Christmas candy..."Ember said.

The two ghosts were about to leave to go back to their respective circle of ghostly friends and acquaintances, however, they suddenly noticed something that had been dangling over them during their entire conversation.

 _"Is that-._.."Danny paled when he realized what it was...

 _ **Mistletoe...**_

He then looked at Ember, who also looked at the dreaded green thing hanging over them on a string...and then at Danny.

"Look...we don't have to do this...I mean...no one is around and it's not like anyone can force this, right...I mean-...Danny was rambling a bit, feeling a little flustered while Ember just remained silent for a moment, with an unusual look on her face.

"Ember?...'Danny asked.

Before he could react, Ember leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the lips, it lasted only for a second but it was enough to stun the boy into silence. When Ember pulled away, she also seemed a little surprised, and Danny couldn't help but noticed her cheeks get a little darker...was she _**blushing?**_

Can ghost's _even_ blush?

Ember was quiet for a moment and Danny is sure his eyes were playing tricks on him, but for a split second, it almost looked like...she smiled?

However she soon frowned hard and gave him a dead serious look...

"This doesn't change anything Phantom, I'm just showing some Christmas spirit...and if you tell _**anyone**_ about this, come December 26th, you're _**toast..."**_ Ember said in a tough voice before walking away in a huff.

Danny remained there, still in shock. Did he really have a kiss under the mistletoe with _**Ember**_ of all people...and most surprisingly of all...he...he didn't exactly hate it.

He knew that she only kissed him because of tradition and he also knew that once the Holiday is over, they will go back to being enemies, but Danny for some reason he couldn't explain, found himself smiling, if only for a moment.

He then went to rejoin the party, feeling strangely more relaxed as he chatted with, drank and even danced as he celebrated with all of the other ghosts in the zone. Friends, enemies or allies, it does not matter, for this is the time of the year that enemies and fights have no place and all around was peace and cheer. Every once in a while, Danny sent a glance at Ember, who seemed like she didn't notice as she continued chatting and celebrating with Kitty and Spectra, laughing all the way just like everyone else was. And for reasons he could not explain, for tonight only, he smiled when he saw her, before he went back to celebrating with his own ghostly friends. Danny had returned home late, but he was smiling, since for the first time in a long time, actually had a nice time on Christmas and during his first official Ghost Zone Christmas party.

He couldn't explain why, but he actually felt a little more optimistic for Christmas _**next**_ year.

 _ **The End**_

* * *

 **A/N:** Merry Christmas everybody. I just wanted to be clear and say that this takes place after the _"Fright Before Christmas"_ but before _"Phantom Planet"_. I see Danny as being 15 here and close to 16 in the series finale, after all he did have two summer vacations _"Reality Trip_ " and " _Claw of the Wild"._ I hope that clears things up.

* * *

 _ **:)**_ _ ** _I hope you enjoyed my special Christmas gift to you all. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night._ :)**_


End file.
